The following review was written by John Page Williams, Editor-at-large, Chesapeake Bay Magazine. John, senior naturalist for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, has been a regular contributor to Chesapeake Bay Magazine for 30 years, specializing in environmental issues, nature, wildlife, fishing and boats. He has been testing new and used boats for the magazine's Time-Tested and New Boat News departments since 1998.

SEPTEMBER 2013

Length overall 21'

Beam 8' 4"

Draft 12"

Weight 2,100 lb

Fuel 56 gals

Max Power 225 hp

Base Price $38,220

With a nearly fifty-year history of building center-console fishing boats, Mako is now the saltwater division of Tracker Marine. Over the past 10 years, the company has built a series of bay boats with sweet-running semi-V hulls of moderate deadrise. The 21 LTS hull adds Mako’s patented Rapid Planing System, a stepped transom that helps the hull rise onto plane with minimum bow rise in shallow water. Though maximum power is 225 hp, 150 is plenty for cruising speeds from the high teens to 30 mph, depending on sea conditions, and a top speed in the mid-40s.

Layout is standard for a bay boat of this size, with bow and stern casting decks (dry storage and rod racks beneath), a center console with space for flush-mounted electronics at the helm, up to three batteries inside (one for cranking the engine and two for a bow-mount trolling motor), and a cooler seat in front. The helm seat is a leaning post with a cooler inside. Just aft is an aerated in-deck livewell with a removable cushioned seat above. One nice touch is a dedicated cast-net storage well in the bow deck. Between the standard features and the options, the new 21 LTS offers a wide range of ways to customize each boat to a family’s needs. Base price with a Mercury 150 EFI four-stroke and a galvanized trailer is $38,220. Mako Boats, Springfield, Mo. 417-873-4555; www.mako-boats.com.